Funny Creatures

People are funny... funny and bizarre creatures to watch. This is something that I have noticed lately. I look all around me and I see many ones wrapped up in a warm blanket of illusion and denial. Comfortable in their blissful existence, with no concern and without thought. What do they value the most? What do they consider pastimes? What do they find as their purpose? What are they doing to give back? These and other things are indicators of where they are on the road of life, how much they have seen and how much further they need to go. Most times people are trying to escape reality, and the ones who usually are doing the escaping are often long removed from anything real in the first place. I call it perpetual numbness. Life is much more than mere fun, or vanity, or even success. And yet, this is what some people measure another's worth by... how many possessions they have, who they know, where do they party and how often. This is not restricted to class either. I would say it is a cultural thing, a culture of carelessness. Yes, a culture of distractions and quick satisfactions. It is no wonder why there are so many unhappy people out there, they have severed their most basic and vital roots. They have constructed a reality over their own, ignoring the laws of nature, the laws of JAH. I tell you, I have seen animals and birds behave more civilized.

Why is there no longer a reverence for the greater things in life? Can we all be so blind? Everybody wants to talk, and nobody wants to listen. Few take the time to meditate on life and appreciate the simple things. It is the responsibility of one generation to make things a little better for the generation to come, and instead we are creating a quagmire with no solid ground to stand on, no foundation. Like a fool we have squandered all of our bequeathed possessions for fleeting moments of ecstasy and the trivial objects of our desires. The ancient guiding stars are blotted out by the neon lights of our nightclubs and pubs, the words of the elders are drowned out by the crude vulgarity of another senseless satire, the fresh still air stifled by the fumes and noise of boisterous vehicles, a moment of true socialization interrupted by an obnoxious call on the cell phone. So what is the solution? Well, obviously we cannot turn back the hands of time. But we can revert back to our original minds. We as a people can seek wisdom; we can find ways to improve ourselves and one another in positive and meaningful ways. We can strive for purpose and substance in our lives. We can calm ourselves, sit down… listen, think, and act.

His Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie I once said, "A qualified man with vision, unmoved by daily selfish interests, will be led to right decisions by his conscience." Let us follow these words of wisdom and become visionaries. Let us lift up our consciences as a tribute to our forefathers and as a gift to our heirs. There is more to life than what we scrape off the surface. Rastafari!

JAHsh